This week I am thrilled to have Christine on my blog for an author spotlight!
Christine Hill Suntz knew she wanted to write novels the day she finished Anne of Green Gables, and she's been lost in her imagination ever since. Her love of language led her to study French and German and pursue a graduate degree in Comparative Literature before finding a home teaching high school French. Her work has won numerous prizes, including the 2022 ACFW Genesis competition.Christine lives in Ontario on a hobby farm with her family, a flock of chickens, one attack rooster, and a herd of entitled goats. When she's not writing or teaching, she enjoys trying out historical recipes on her (mostly) willing family.
First off, welcome to my blog. It’s so great to have you here!
Thanks so much for hosting me, Taylor!
What first sparked your passion for storytelling, and how has your journey as a writer evolved over time?
I’ve been a reader as long as I can remember and I’ve wanted to write since I was eleven years old. I was inspired by authors like L.M. Montgomery and Charlotte Bronte. It seemed to me that writing must be the most rewarding job in the world. Creating characters and stories in my imagination just came naturally. Getting it down on paper, however, was a lot more challenging than I thought!
What unique aspects of your faith influence your storytelling style or the themes you explore?
I’m very interested in the interplay between doubt and faith, hope and despair. I don’t want to offer easy answers in my stories. Being a Christian doesn’t protect us from experiencing tragedy and there are often no answers when we pray for deliverance or ask God why. These are the issues that my characters struggle with
Do you have a favorite Bible verse or passage that has guided your writing or life journey?
Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 is a passage that is mentioned in The Lawyer and the Laundress. I love these words of wisdom that help me step back and consider the totality of life.
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance
Who are some of your favorite Christian authors, and how have they influenced your work?
I love the romance and emotion in Sarah Sundin’s stories. I always read her work and try to figure out how she blends the external plot with a deeply emotional love story. Laura Frantz is also a favorite. Her atmospheric settings and historically accurate dialogue immerses me instantly in a distant time and place. I strive to create settings as real and immersive as hers.
If you could collaborate with any Christian author, living or deceased, who would it be and why?
As I mentioned, Lucy Maud Montgomery has been a favorite author since childhood. I’d ask her how she created such engaging characters and how she came up with her story ideas. I’d love to learn from her how to bring more humor into my stories.
What’s your favorite scene or moment in the book, and why does it hold special meaning for you?
There is a scene in the story when Sara and James are trying to save little Evie’s life. James prays for his daughter’s recovery and Sara expresses her doubt that prayer is effective. James doesn’t offer any easy answers, but he affirms his sense that God is with him through every struggle. Even when prayer isn’t answered in the way he expected.
Are there any surprising lessons or revelations you discovered about yourself or your faith through the writing process?
I learned I had a lot more to say about faith and human kindness than I thought. During my first draft, I thought I was writing a romance. No deep themes, no earth-shattering revelations. Then I realized what this story was actually about!
How do you incorporate prayer or spiritual reflection into your writing routine?
I try to start each day with a daily reflection from Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. I love liturgy and church history, and this book has an excellent selection of both.
What do you enjoy most about connecting with readers, and what feedback has resonated deeply with you?
I’ve only been a published author for a little more than a month, so hearing from readers is new for me. I loved meeting readers who enjoyed my story at the Columbus Book Festival. It makes me so happy when readers say they couldn’t put my book down.
Have you seen your book make an impact in someone’s life, and can you share that experience?
Not yet, but I hope to have some stories like this soon!
What’s one thing you wish readers knew about the process of writing Christian fiction?
It takes time to learn the craft, and it takes time to write and edit a story. Writers are struggling over each word, sentence and storyline.
How do you celebrate the completion of a book, and what does that milestone mean to you?
I haven’t had a lot of time to celebrate my book release and the completion of my next manuscript. My life right now is full. My children all play travel sports (football and rowing) and I write in bits and pieces while I’m waiting in the car or before I go to work in the morning. It’s not ideal, but it’s the only way to make writing work at this stage in my life. I’m not complaining. They are growing up so fast and I don’t want to miss a moment.
If someone were to adapt your book into a movie, what would be your dream casting for the main characters?
I’ve had a soft spot for Colin Firth ever since I watched Pride and Prejudice (my favorite 1995 version). I still think he would be a great James. Kate Winslet plays a perfect feisty heroine and she’d be my ideal Sara.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who are just starting out?
Be patient. Learning how to write and discovering a writing method that works for you takes time. It’s okay not to have everything figured out and to walk in faith through the unknown. Don’t take rejection personally. Use each ‘No’ as an opportunity to learn and get better. It takes time to learn the craft. I’ve come a long way since my first stories…and I have a lot still to learn.
Lastly, before you go…Can you talk about any upcoming projects or books you’re working on?
I recently submitted a new story set during the Upper Canada Rebellion. Charlotte is the daughter of a former military hero desperately loyal to the crown. When her brother goes missing and is accused of joining the rebel cause, she takes matters into her own hands and sets off into the wilderness She enlists the help of Joshua, a backwoodsman who lives in a hotbed of rebel activity. Charlotte needs Joshua to help her find her brother. Joshua needs money to save his homestead. Something tells me it won’t be that simple…
Now for her book, The Lawyer and the Laundress.
Lawyer James Kinney isn’t looking for love, and laundress Sara O’Connor doesn’t want to be found. When their paths cross in a British colony on the brink of rebellion, a marriage of convenience may be their best hope of survival.
Canada, 1837. Widower James Kinney knows his precocious daughter, Evie, needs more than his lessons on law and logic, but Toronto offers few options. Classes with the neighbor children seem ideal until James discovers Evie is secretly spending her time with Sara O’Connor, a kind and mysteriously educated servant. For propriety’s sake, James forbids their friendship. But then Evie falls victim to the illness ravaging the city, and James must call upon Sara’s medical knowledge and her special bond with Evie to save his daughter’s life.
When Sara’s presence in his household threatens scandal, however, James offers an unexpected solution: become his wife, in name only, and help him raise Evie to be a proper young lady.
If Sara can ignore the sparks she feels when they’re together, his logical proposal could keep her secret secure forever. But soon, the forces of rebellion unravel their tidy arrangement. When James is accused of treason, Sara must find the courage to face a past that could save her husband’s life.
And Christine has teased us with a snippet from her story:
“Well, that’s what I call a gentleman,” Granny said, almost to herself. “Mighty attached to that daughter of his, too.” Granny sent Sara a shrewd glance. “Mayhap that’s not all he’s attached to.”
Sara gasped. “Granny, where on earth do you get such thoughts? I’ll never see them again.”
“Hmph.” Granny rocked with renewed vigor, muttering about young people who couldn’t see for looking.
Sometimes it was a trial that Granny knew her so well. Sara gathered the teacups, avoiding Granny’s eyes. “Besides, he is a fine gentleman, just as you said. What would he want with a washerwoman?”
“Yer not a washerwoman, no more than I’m the Queen of England.” Granny shook her head. “There’s a time to mourn and a time to rejoice, says so right in the Scriptures. Mayhap your time of mourning is done. Might be time to live again.”
Make sure to follow Christine on Social Media:
Website: https://www.christinehillsuntz.com/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Christine-Hill-Suntz/author/B0F1S446RP?ref
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinehillsuntz/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christine.suntz
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/52467644.Christine_Hill_Suntz